Mass Spectrometry GroupLake N. Paul, Ph.D.
IRTA Fellow Tel (919) 541-0192 Fax (919) 541-0220 paulln@niehs.nih.gov P.O. Box 12233 Mail Drop F0-04 Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709 Delivery Instructions The major area of my research is the application of mass spectrometry to extract structural information from protein complexes. One of the mass spectrometric techniques that is used to gather structural information is crosslinking. The identification and characterization of a crosslinked protein complex can give detailed structural information about binding interfaces. However, the analysis and identification of the crosslinked peptides is tedious due to the low abundance of the crosslinked peptides. Recently, my research has been focused on the development of an enrichment technique via the usage of biotin-conjugated crosslinkers that would enable better detection of the crosslinked peptides. Another part of my research is focused on the glycoprotein E2 of the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). Unlike Hepatitis A and B, there is no vaccine for C. Studies have hinted at the E2 glycoprotein of HCV as a possible target for neutralizing antibodies. Antibodies to the E2 glycoprotein have been suggested to recognize conformational determinants. Mass spectrometric epitope mapping to assess the conformational determinants of the E2 epitope for both neutralizing and non neutralizing antibodies will provide structural information facilitating the initiation of a potential vaccine. Lake N. Paul, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) Fellow in the Mass Spectrometry Group within the Laboratory of Structural Biology. He was a Howard Hughes Scholar at the University of Miami where he received his B.S. degree in Biology. In 2007, he earned his Ph.D. from Purdue University in Structural Biology and Biophysics. |
|